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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1969-12-06-MMNHPAC-min.pdf _ 4 % aP"• �-.1 ���' UNITED STATES /moi -� I' rj 1'.''' - !" o DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ,,-- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1400 Post Office & Courthouse _ IN REPLY REFER TO. Boston, Massachusetts 02109 .)._,�.3 - ti--' I S A18 Minutes of the Nineteenth Meeting - December 6, 1969 The Nineteenth Meeting of the Minute Man National Historical Park Advisory Commission was held in the park headquarters on North Great Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts, Saturday morning, December 6, 1969. Present: Members Hon. James DeNormandie Mr. David B. Little, Chairman Mr. Donald E. Nickerson Mrs. Katharine S. White, Secretary Representing the National Park Service Mr. Edwin W. Small, Assistant to the Regional Director Northeast Region, New England Field Office Mr. Benjamin J. Zerbey, General Superintendent, Boston National Park Service Group Mr. Robert N. Perkins, Jr. , Unit Manager, Minute Man National Historical Park Project As Chairman, Mr. Little called the meeting to order at 10:2.0 A.M. An oral reading of the Minutes of the Eighteenth Meeting held on April 26, 1969, was dispensed with and it was voted to accept the condensed transcript of the meeting as distributed to the members by letter cf June 3, 1969. The Chairman then called upon General Superintendent Zerbey and Unit Manager Perkins to present their report on programs and events of note relating to the park project since the last meeting. Mr. Zerbey stated that the group management of the several Park Service historical areas in the vicinity of Boston was now in effect as he had announced it would be at a previous meeting. He introduced Mr. Perkins as the new Unit Manager of the Minute Man Park Project and indicated that Mr. Perkins would proceed with the report to the members. Mr. Perkins said he had been on his new assignment only since October 1 but would attempt to cover the highlights of park activity since the last meeting of the Commission. With regard to travel, he stated that during S C4 the period from January through November there had been 518,939 visitors. This represents an increase of about 10 percent for eleven months in 196Q over the twelve months total of 1968. The increase has been steady year after year and may be expected to continue. The largest number of visitors still come to the North Bridge Battleground and to the visitor center in the former Buttrick Mansion. The latter will continue to receive visitors daily over the winter from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. , while the park headquarters on North Great Road will be open only on weekdays. Upon being questioned as to the busiest months for visitors, Mr. Perkins recited the figures month by month from November back to June. August is still heavier for travel than July and more people come in October than September. November 28, the day after Thanksgiving, brought out the surprising number of 775. Mention was made of the dynamiting of the North Bridge last June and the fact that repairs had finally been completed on November 28 by maintenance personnel on the park staff in a very satisfactory manner. The cost of the repairs done in this way was $1,450 as compared with a figure of $1+,600 procured from a contractor. There has been no activity in land acquisition wince the last meeting, the acreage acquired remained at 508.92. Legislation to reflect increased ceilings both in acreage and funds authorized for land acquisition is yet to be actually introduced in the Congress in accordance with a resolution passed by the Commission at the meeting on December 14, 1968, and subsequently transmitted by Mr. DeNormandie to Congressmen Morse and Philbin. The draft of a bill to authorize the transfer of two parcels in Lincoln to the Hanscom Air Force Base has likewise been presented by Mr. DeNormandie to Congressmen Morse and Philbin, but as yet without result in the form of introduced legislation. An accomplishment of some note on the park project during the past summer was construction of the new parking area for the Wayside, situated across Lexington Road from the historic house at the westerly corner of Hawthorne Lane. Mr. Zerbey indicated that the parking area may be opened during the summer of 1970 for the benefit of visitors to the Louisa May Alcott Home but it remains doubtful whether restoration work on the Wayside itself will be far enough along to admit the public. The interim plan for the park, approved December 1, 1966, was produced and explained by Mr. Zerbey in response to a prior request from Mrs. White that drawings of the master plan be shown to the members at the meeting. A plan for the Fiske Hill Area showing the easterly quarter of the Battle Road Unit, prepared and approved during the past September, was also displayed and described by Mr. Zerbey, who called attention in particular to the concept for an environmental study area on what was formerly a part of the Fiske farm. On the plan, a tentative layout for a visitor center is indi- cated for the area now occupied by buildings of the Benton Animal Hospital. In connection with the presentation of the above drawings, there was considerable discussion of locations for Routes 2 and 2A, Mr. Zerbey indicating that the Massachusetts Department of Public Works has requested 2 and is awaiting the preparation and submission of a plan from the National Park Service delineating the ideas of the latter as to what the ultimate overall arrangement of the routes should be. Some discussion followed on prospective uses of land adjacent to the park project. Mrs. White brought up the matter of the Sayata School, a private undertaking that appears to be getting a foothold on some of the properties south of the existing Route 2A at the Lexington-Lincoln boundary. Mrs. White also spoke of the scheme presented in Volume I of the report entitled Metropolitan Open Space and Recreational Plan and Program for Metropolitan Boston, prepared by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The MAPC scheme recommends the creation of 350 campsites on land south of the park project in Lincoln and west of Route 128 in Lexington. Some time was spent in an analysis of the above scheme, which would set up campsites on the lavish scale of four to the acre, thereby requiring a total area of almost 90 acres for the project. Mr. DeNormandie pointed out that no area in the recommended location could be found to accommodate a project of such size without the objectionable filling and utilization of existing wetlands. He also indicated that land is too valuable in the general location to be put to such use and that the most feasible place for such a development is still the proposed Nashoba Brook Reservation of some 2,000 or more acres in the Towns of Acton, Littleton and Westford under considera- tion by the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources. It was concluded that the Metropolitan Area Planning Council had been too presumptuous in placing the campsite recommendation in its report and should be better acquainted with topographical conditions and ecological demands before it makes further recommendations along these lines. From the campsite proposal of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the attention of the members present was called by Mrs. White to the motel proposal on Mill Street in Lincoln. Not enough appears to be known yet about the proposal to give any opinion as to whether it would affect the park adversely. Mr. Nickerson said there were two motel projects in the making in Lexington for a total of 320 units that would aim to get patron- age coming off of Route 128. One of these is below the park project at Hartwell Avenue outside Route 128. The matter of houses from the park project being made available for housing elsewhere in Lincoln was brought up again and Mr. Zerbey indicated that the time was becoming ripe to move such structures as their current occupants face increasing problems in maintenance. Mr. DeNormandie stated that land on Brooks Road is to be procured for this purpose and the project should move ahead before long. The town will create cluster zoning for this project. The situation with regard to preparations for the Bicentennial Celebration in 1975 has undergone no change since the last meeting. The Town of Lexington has still to determine the make-up of a committee for the Bicentennial. It is expected that some discussion of the matter has taken place between the Minute Man Council Liaison Committee and the Lexington Celebrations Committee. Mr. Nickerson indicated that he would endeavor to 3 A Ala • ' have a decision reached on the subject by getting in touch with the Chairman of the Lexington Board of Selectmen, who last wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Advisory Commission on January 6, 1969. It is foreseeable that the Lexington Celebrations Committee may also function as the town's committee for the Bicentennial. This is to be the case in Lincoln, where the Celebrations Committee has yet to meet with John B. Finigan, chairman of the committee planning the ]975 celebration in Concord. Mrs. White indicated that the Chairman of the Lincoln Celebrations Committee would be in touch with Mr. Finigan and doubtless arrange for a meeting sometime during the course of the winter. The discussion then turned to the status and activities of the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission and the Massachusetts Revolutionary War Bicentennial Commission. Mr. DeNormandie stated that he is a member of the latter and that its activities thus far were mainly in the field of publications. Mr. Small said the Commission had printed some very worthwhile things in a bulletin which appears periodically and that a very important project would be the publication of materials relating to the movement for the Revolution that is in the journals of the eighteenth century Massachusetts legislatures and the Provincial Congress. With regard to the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, Mr. Small stated that President Nixon had appointed some new members and a new chairman during the summer and, at its meeting in September, the Commission had heard the cases presented by Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. , for holding an exposition or world's fair in 1976. It seems that the Commission was rather confused by the divergent views expressed on the subject of an exposition and the Commission may wind up by backing no exposition at all. If a city is to receive federal backing, Mr. Small indicated that announcement of a decision is expected to be made by President Nixon sometime early in 1970. The final question to be taken up at the meeting was that of getting legislation out of Congress to raise the ceilings for acreage and appropriations for land acquisition and development of the park. Mr. DeNormandie said he thought that the next best step for him to take would be to have a conference with Governor Sargent to see what might be done further through members of the Massachusetts delegation in Congress. Mr. DeNormandie hopes to see the Governor within the next few weeks and Mr. Nickerson suggested that a report of Mr. DeNormandie's meeting with the Governor be included as part of the condensed transcript of the Nineteenth Meeting to go out to the members. There was no other business to come before the meeting and it was adjourned by the Chairman at 11:50 A.M. Approved Katharine S. White /sgd/ Katharine S. White, Secretary Date Dec. 15, 1969 4 Addendum as of February 16, 1970: An appointment State Senator DeNormandie made to see Governor Gargent during the first week of February finally had to be cancelled by the Governor and, in lieu of a conference with the Governor, Senator DeNormandie met with Commissioner of. Administration and. Finance Donald Dwight on February 12 to discuss ideas for making further progress on the Minute Man Park Project. Commissioner Dwight feels that any stens at the State level to give momentum to the project will have a better chance once a final decision has been reached as to whether any exposition will be held in Boston in connection with the Bicentennial of the American Revolution. The thinking on this subject is to the effect that once it is decided a world's fair is not to take place in Boston, there will be more interest and activity at the State level with regard to observ- ance of the Bicentennial in other and more suitable ways. The prospect of any world' s fair being held in Boston appears to be diminish ing rapidly. On February 2, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill to prohibit use of State funds for an exposition in Boston Harbor and on any of its islands. The bill now awaits passage in the State Senate. Senator DeNormandie has indicated that he hopes to see Governor Sargent next week or soon after and that, as a result of his meeting with the Governor, letters may go out to members of the Massachusetts delegation In Congress urging action on the matter of procuring higher ceilings and an additional appropriation, so that a land acquisition program may be resumed on the park project. E.W.S. 2/16/1970 / 5' � 2 nom( ..,44 - et-L,-e •6�w �c 24 9. e t o4 tem- a/; 7 c„uL4-e 9, d Vied "teu -�- . 4 Laidy . ep el Pad Y7Qn �, 911` —0 /6-6--- <_:i2�Qe,�r ., a ire -e-44, e C�c.c e e2 ' Yt-e bo a Ce-6 (39--( 5144 et--eat